Planning

Space Weather Delivery Partner

  • Met Office

UK2: Preliminary market engagement notice - Procurement Act 2023 - view information about notice types

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-009247

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-04ecd5

Published 13 March 2025, 2:38pm



Scope

Reference

DN766482

Description

The Met Office owns the Severe Space Weather Risk on the National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA) and receives funding from the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) to deliver a core national space weather capability to inform mitigation against the worst effects by government and critical sectors.  

Given the prominence of the severe space weather as a 'significant' risk on the UK Government's NSRA and the higher than anticipated activity in this solar cycle, cross-government activity has increased putting greater demands and requirements on Met Office. Increased funding has been secured to resource these more demanding requirements focussed on improving UK preparedness for any future severe space weather event. 

Met Office Technology team is looking to supplement its internal resources to support the Space Weather programme from the technical perspective in full. For a number of years an external Delivery Partner has been used in a blended team supported by Met Office internal leadership team, and the intention is continue with this model of delivery

The Met Office wishes to engage with the Market to procure a replacement Delivery Partner contract. 

Contract dates (estimated)

  • 30 September 2025 to 29 September 2030
  • Possible extension to 29 September 2032
  • 7 years

Main procurement category

Services

CPV classifications

  • 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Contract locations

  • UK - United Kingdom

Engagement

Engagement deadline

24 April 2025

Engagement process description

Met Office wishes to speak to the market to gain their insights and experience in this field which may be fed into the development and make-up of the Space Weather Delivery Partner solution.    

Met Office intends to hold a Supplier Market Engagement event on 1st April 2025, this will be a virtual event.

In advance of this event, we will be issuing a draft specification, a Space Weather Early Market Engagement document and a Request for information (RFI) document, this will be no later than 21st March 25 via the Met Office ProContract portal: https://procontract.due-north.com/Register. The RFI will contain a number of questions we would like responses to, the RFI return date will be the 11th April 2025

The documents will be published and available via the Met Office ProContract portal and potential suppliers will have the option to ask clarification questions during this Market Engagement period.

To register attendance for the virtual Market Engagement event and to access the relevant information relating to this Space Weather Delivery Partner Market Engagement, potential suppliers must register on the Met Office ProContract Portal: https://procontract.due-north.com/Register

Please Note: This information will not be available via any other source.

For any system issues related to registration or accessing the opportunity on the Met Office ProContract Portal please contact the ProContract Helpdesk - by emailing the ProContract support team - ProContractSuppliers@proactis.com


Participation

Particular suitability

  • Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
  • Voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE)

Contracting authority

Met Office

  • Public Procurement Organisation Number: PVZW-3234-DTLY

Met Office

Exeter

EX1 3PB

United Kingdom

Region: UKK43 - Devon CC

Organisation type: Public authority - central government